"Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency" (Psalm 73:13).
Asaph, the writer of this psalm, was so confused by his sufferings in comparison to the easy life of the wicked that he nearly slipped into a pit of absolute unbelief. He was ready to accuse God of abandoning him, of not being concerned, and for a moment he was ready to quit the battle and give up completely.
This godly man must have thought, "I've been doing right and enduring hardships all this time but it was for nothing. All my diligence, my praising and worshiping, my study of God's Word has been useless, in vain. I have done only right; yet I continue to suffer and it makes no sense. What's the use of going on?"
Beloved, you must be careful. When calamity falls, when a trial comes upon you, when you are grieving, you need to guard your heart against slipping.
You may not be in Asaph's condition, suffering and being tested, but you may know someone who is going through something similar. Sudden calamity may have come upon a godly relative, friend or church member, someone you know who is doing right, and you have asked, "Why, God? How could You allow this? That person is so righteous!"
Asaph went to the temple and prayed. Beloved, when your time of grief or suffering comes, you must go to the secret closet. Get alone with God and cry out to Him. If you will get alone with the Father, He will give you understanding. That is when the Holy Spirit spoke to Asaph: “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction” (verse 18). Asaph realized, “I’m not the one slipping, the wicked are slipping. They’re going straight into destruction.”
Asaph began to see the whole picture and he rejoiced: “God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever” (verse 26). He could say, “Yes, my strength is failing. Yes, I’m enduring a great battle — but I’m not alone in my struggles. I have a loving Father in heaven and He watches over me!”
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.